Nan'an is located on the southeast coast of Fujian province. [Photo provided to enquanzhou.com]

Nan'an, located on the southeast coast of Fujian province, is a county-level city under Quanzhou's jurisdiction. Its administrative area covers 2,036 square kilometers and it has a permanent population of over 1.7 million.

Nan'an has been given various titles, such as being one of China's top 100 small and medium-sized cities in comprehensive strength, one of the top 100 cities with the most investment potential, a national intellectual property rights pilot city and a national ecological civilization construction demonstration city.

Nan'an has a history of more than 1,760 years, and was once the political, economic and cultural center of southern Fujian. The engraved inscriptions on Jiuri Mountain and Jinji ancient port are powerful witnesses of Nan'an as an important city on the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

During the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, many fine porcelain pieces, and a great deal of tea and other commodities were transported from Nan'an to the world.

Today, more than six million Nan'an people are distributed around the world. Nan'an is the only county (city) in China where overseas Chinese have donated more than 100 million yuan ($14.25 million) for 30 consecutive years.

Nan'an boasts a developed private economy, with influential characteristic industrial clusters including stone materials and ceramics, plumbing, machinery and equipment, shoes and clothing, and photoelectric information.

The city has the world's largest stone design, production and trading center, China's largest hardware and plumbing production base, and the fourth-largest grain and oil processing and distribution center.